leishmania

leish·man·ia

noun \lēsh-ˈman-ē-ə, -ˈmān-\

Definition of LEISHMANIA

1

capitalized : a genus of kinetoplastid flagellate protozoans of the family Trypanosomatidae that are parasitic in the tissues of vertebrates, are transmitted by sand flies (genera Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia), occur parasitically as a minute ovoid or spherical nonflagellated body with a definite kinetoplast and usually an intracellular axoneme, and include one (L. donovani) causing kala-azar and another (L. tropica) causing oriental sore

2

: any protozoan of the genus Leishmania; broadly : any protozoan of the family Trypanosomatidae having the typical intracellular form of a leishmania

—leish·man·ial \-ē-əl\ adjective